Arrington must go. I know that upsets plenty on this board, but he is not coachable (see Marvin Lewis). He and Trotter like roaming all over the field and at the wrong time, everytime, they are caught out of position. I also know you guys love this Bowen fella. Not getting it done but he has no trade value. This team is just ripping my 'friggin heart out and I can't take it anymore. The defense CHOKED 3 weeks in a row. You don't have to worry about Sapp or any free agent of value because NO ONE WANTS TO COME HERE!!!!!

I'm out and thanks for letting me vent this year. It's been real. See you all during the offseason from hell.

he whined alot.. but when hes asked to do something it seemed like he did it for marvin lewis... i think its like that for jeremiah too, i didnt watch too much of him at philly but didnt they blitz him alot every game, and we dont do alot of that i guess, ive had my eyes closed on every defensive play for the past 6 or 7 weeks

ryan56 wrote: ive had my eyes closed on every defensive play for the past 6 or 7 weeks

You're not alone.

... and yes, the Eagles did run tons of middle blitzes with Trotter.

I love Lavar, heck if half the team cared as much as he seemed to, we probably wouldn't be where we are. But attitude isn't always enough, and he's playing very undisciplined football right now. Anyone on the list who has ever played linebacker at ANY level of football knows the importance of staying in lanes and not over-committing... let alone on nearly every play.

Our LB's haven't done their job - that's all there is to it. All they've gotta do is read, fill the hole, or drop to pass coverage. Armstead gets two tackles a game, Trotter tackles offenisve linemen very well and Arrington can cover...it's not the system! The LB's have every advantage on every play. Worse, Iffy Ohalete hits Trotters back on every play - assuming he knows which hole to hit. The result, a bigger hole without safety support. Urlacher reads, Lewis reads, McKinnon reads... our guys don't.

so true.... i love ray lewis.... he is THE marquee Lb in the NFL, ask any coach(except spurrier, he dosen't watch defenses...). the guy hardly ever bites on a fake, it seems like he sits still the first second or so when the ball is snapped, he let's the play come to him, and if it dosen't he has the speed to make up for it. and how many tackles has he missed this year... bet you could count em on one hand. seems like our guys are always adjusting and just plain don't have any patience, thus are over-reacting to fakes etc, etc. it is the coaching on the defense, no doubt about it. last year how many times did our guys miss assignments and come back to the sidelines without being called out and getting an earfull from marvin? he's the man, look at the bungles, or has it come to...LOOK UP AT THE BENGALS?????? WTF?????

THN's resident jerk.

Glock .40 Model 22 - First* line of home defense.... 'ADT' is for liberals.

Um... I would agree, except that I see a lot of the other defenses playing a shallower LB set, two yards off the ball. Three yards make a difference? I believe it does. The LB are playing undisciplined because they see the need to blitz on a play - usually correctly, but because another LB doesn't shift due to the fact that a blitz wasn't in the plans, the area is open for a pass or run if the blitz is picked up.

All of the linebackers you mentioned also blitz a lot, and in cases where someone like Urlacher sees a play that he recognizes, he can adjust and blitz, whereas our guys don't seem to have the option to adjust coverages and go after the BC or QB and that frustrates the hell outta me.

I disagree that many of the guys that you talked about just sit back and read, and in most cases when you look at a blitzing defense - say Dallas' defense and what they did to us, they blitzed from 5 different positions all day and when they layed off we torched em.

I still say it is a very stratified, safe, bend but don't break system based on the Cover 2 defense which relies on having a front four that can reach the QB on a semi regular basis if not to sack then to at least apply pressure.

The reason why the Cover 2 is SO vulnerable is that there are very nice wide open "windows" in their zones that allow for quick slants, hitches and crosses. Another particular pattern, and one completed frequently on us is the 15-20 slant to the sideline.

Trust me - if Tampa didn't have their line and good LBs who blitz frequently - they would be worse off than they are right now. The fact that they have decent DBs is just a plus for them.

Facts is facts - the patterns that opponents are completing, the time the QB has, the time the opposing RBs have before being engaged by the LBs all point to an inadequate system being staffed by players that aren't designed to run that system.

I almost would rather see them go to the aggressive 3-4 that Belichick runs with 2 LBs or a LB and Safety blitzing on any given down from different directions. It works - how many starters were they down at one point and still winning? 9?

Ah well... it won't happen with this DC who has seen success and veered back to his safety blanket "try not to lose" mentality when the final moments are upon the team.

Rich in Roanoke
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Let others hail the rising sun:
I bow to that whose course is run